


make it, take it, break it

by sparkle_1



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, lapslock, those platonic lisoo and chaennie tags don't exist yet and i am offended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-02-12 12:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12958860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkle_1/pseuds/sparkle_1
Summary: everyone thinks jennie is scary. jisoo just thinks jennie is cute.or,jisoo likes cats.





	1. i

a lot of people talk about kim jennie.

like, a rumor went around a while ago that one time after school, she beat up three guys who had been catcalling her in the hallway that day. someone once said she volunteers at the library and reads to kids during story hour, and according to no less than four reliable sources, she possesses the uncanny ability to speak loudly and clearly with her mouth closed.

at this point, it’s uncertain whether anyone has ever managed to get a decent grasp on her character, but people talk anyway.

it’s not like jisoo really pays attention to what people say. to be fair, she’s not exactly what you’d call perfect - just a couple weeks ago she somehow got caught in the middle of some drama involving the basketball coach’s daughter and the head cheerleader - but she likes to think that she’s fairly innocent when it comes to high school gossip. most of what she’s heard is pretty out there, like that one story about how jennie’s dad used to be in a gang and killed three guys, and taught jennie how to fight with knives and stuff. like, yeah, it’s a good story, but it’s truly astounding how people actually believe everything that’s been said about her. and a lot of it is really… out there. cute stories like the library one go around from time to time, but the majority of them are about jennie’s secret life as the daughter of a crime lord, so…

jisoo, personally, thinks most of it is bullshit. yeah, jennie is a little intimidating, the quiet and reserved type, and jisoo would be lying if she said she’d never gotten nervous about being in close proximity to her. but that’s a different story. on the whole, she’s just too _cute_ to be as badass as everyone seems to think.

not that jisoo knows her personally. or has ever spoken to her. or has ever been acknowledged by her on any level. but she’s _cute,_ okay. she kind of reminds jisoo of a cat? anyway.

it’s actually a lie that jennie has _never_ acknowledged jisoo’s existence, if she’s being completely honest. during lunch today, while some guy on the student council was making an announcement about homecoming tickets over the loudspeaker, jisoo looked up from her overpriced pizza slice, and jennie was kind of… staring at her. from across the whole cafeteria. and then she immediately looked away, of course, which jisoo understands, because she knows from personal experience how embarrassing it is to get caught looking at people, but it was cute. whether she meant to be looking at her or she was just spacing out is an unsolved mystery, but, like… jennie was looking _right_ at her.

jisoo doesn’t really pay much attention to rumors, but one thing she hasn't been able to get out of her head is that one story everyone was telling a few months ago about how jennie kissed a girl in sophomore year.

there’s something you should know about kim jisoo, if you haven’t figured it out by now: she has a bit of a crush on kim jennie.

there’s something else you should know about kim jisoo: her “bit of a crush” on kim jennie is maybe a lot of a crush. she’s maybe liked her since maybe 8th grade. maybe.

okay, actually, she’s been secretly admiring jennie for the better part of four years. lisa thinks it’s cute. jisoo thinks lisa is being really annoying about the whole thing, but she also thinks jennie is cute, so she mostly just ignores lisa.

however, with how very little jennie actually talks at school, and with how very much people are always talking about her, there’s not really anything solid that jisoo can say she for sure, 100% knows about her. and that’s…

that’s kind of sad. as lisa has pointed out many times.

jisoo isn’t too torn up about it, though. her crush isn’t this big, huge, massive problem in her life. she doesn’t think about jennie 24/7. like, sometimes she gets butterflies when she spots her in the halls, or turns around during ap chem and sees her working in the back row, or passes her when she’s walking to her bus at the end of the day. it’s not a big deal. but it’s still there, and jisoo is only human.

so she can’t concentrate in any of her classes for the rest of the day, because she’s still overanalyzing the little incident that happened at lunch, and the only thing her brain manages to come up with by 7th period is “wow, jennie is cute.”

well, at least she can’t argue with herself about that.

…

“unnie!”

jisoo hears the squeal and braces herself just before lisa comes running out of nowhere and tackles her in a hug. the momentum is still too strong, despite jisoo attempting to stand her ground, and both of them would have been thrown to the ground if jisoo hadn’t frantically grabbed onto the conveniently placed pillar in the hall that’s saved them from certain tragedy too many times to count. lisa is just a bit… excited. all the time. and she likes hugs. that pillar is probably the only reason neither of them have been seriously injured at some point during the past two years.

“oh my god, lisa,” jisoo whines. “i saw you, like, three hours ago. don’t you have any friends?”

“i missed you,” lisa pouts, leaning closer.

 _“no,_ lisa, _no kisses.”_   jisoo shoves lisa away from her body and, thankfully, she stays too far to safely give one of her infamous pecks on the cheek. “bad girl.”

lisa just giggles, her smile taking over her whole face.

“i’m not actually a dog, unnie,” she says.

“yes, you are,” jisoo insists. she reaches out to ruffle lisa’s thick black hair. “you’re my cute little puppy and you do what i say like a good dongsaeng, right?”

“okay, unnie.”

“good girl,” jisoo coos. “but no kisses.” she holds up a finger and shakes it scoldingly.

lisa sighs. “okay, unnie,” she agrees, following when jisoo turns to walk down the hallway to the door.

“do you want ice cream?” jisoo suddenly offers. “i really want pistachio. i’ve never had it. it sounds weird.”

“are you buying?”

“of course i am.” she’s honestly offended that lisa thinks she’d make her pay for her own ice cream. “you’re a puppy, i have to take care of you.”

“you know that half the school thinks we have some weird pet kink, right?”

jisoo scoffs. “you’re, like, twelve. you’re too young to have any kinks. besides, who cares what they think? most of them still believe kim jennie shot a mafia boss in the knee with the last bullet left in the gun. i wouldn’t trust them if they told me the sky was blue.”

lisa is silent. when jisoo opens the door and looks at her, both of her eyebrows are raised.

“what?” she scoffs.

“nothing,” lisa says innocently. “just… that’s the third time this week that you’ve randomly mentioned jennie in one of our conversations.”

“okay, so?”

“it’s only tuesday, unnie.”

jisoo scoffs again.

“it’s not like my feelings are a big secret, lisa. it would take anyone about two seconds to figure out i have a crush on her.”

“yeah, but you’re just…” lisa trails off frustratedly. “yesterday you started getting really… obvious?”

jisoo stops at the end of the sidewalk, grabbing onto lisa’s shoulder and stopping her, too. she looks around, making sure no one is paying attention to them, before leaning in conspiratorially.

“okay, yesterday, at lunch,” she explains in a hurried whisper, “jennie was _looking_ at me.”

lisa stares at her.

“there are hundreds of people in the cafeteria during each lunch hour,” she points out. “is it really that unlikely that some of them would look at each other sometimes?”

“no, no, i mean, she was _looking_ at me,” jisoo groans. “like, _right_ at me. i’m pretty sure it wasn’t an accident, too.”

she crosses her fingers, hopes, _prays,_ that lisa won’t immediately shoot down her enthusiasm. this is the first glimmer of hope she’s seen in a long time, since that rumor started that jennie might like girls.

lisa takes in a breath. jisoo does, too. lisa lets out her breath slowly. jisoo holds hers.

“that’s pretty cute,” lisa admits. jisoo sighs in relief and starts walking again, threading her fingers between lisa’s to pull her along.

“isn’t it, though?” she gushes. “she’s so cute, lisa, help. i’m gonna die if she gets any cuter.”

“don’t worry, unnie, i’ll be sure to say lots of nice things at your funeral.”

“bad girl, lisa, so disrespectful,” jisoo scolds, tugging her hand free once more. “see if i ever buy you ice cream again, brat.” lisa grins.

jisoo gets pistachio, and two scoops of strawberry for lisa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok yeah the first chapter is mostly platonic lisoo but don't worry jennie (AND CHAEYOUNG DON'T FORGET CHAEYOUNG) will show up soon probably idk i've never posted a wip so we'll see how this goes. fair warnings: i update when i feel like it. i'm not a reliable wip writer and i can't promise with 100% certainty that this will be finished. i'm planning on keeping it fluffy n soft but the angst always seems to sneak its way in somehow so i won't promise anything there either lmao


	2. ii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fixed a million typos in the first chapter and there's probably a bunch i missed in this one tbh.. me, proofreading _before_ posting something on the world wide web?? too ooc :/

jisoo is not popular. she has friends, and she’s pretty social, and people will generally know who she is if you mention her name (along with a vague description, because there are a lot of kim jisoo’s at this school), but she is definitely not popular. at least, not in the classic sense of the word.

so it’s a bit of a shock when park “rosie” chaeyoung is waiting for her at her locker between english and pre-calc.

chaeyoung is the most popular girl in her grade, maybe even the whole school, even though she’s just a sophomore. probably because she’s the principal’s daughter. even so, she’s kind and humble, if a little quiet, but she tends to stay with her group of friends and not talk much to the other students. she just lets them idolize her and tries not to acknowledge it.

jisoo slowly makes her way to her locker, eyeing chaeyoung warily as the enters the combination and opens it.

"hi," chaeyoung says. “do you know a girl named lisa?” her voice is soft and sweet, words simple but calculated.

“um,” jisoo replies eloquently. “yeah?”

“oh, i thought so,” chaeyoung says with a little smile. she runs a hand through her hair and twiddles with the ends. “i’ve seen you guys talking sometimes. i mean, i don’t watch you, that would be creepy, but i’ve. i’ve seen you… around.” a rosy blush paints her cheeks as she stutters the explanation.

“okay,” jisoo says. apparently her vocabulary game is a bit weak today. she rifles through her locker and pulls out the textbook she needs, though still facing chaeyoung because she doesn’t want to just ignore her.

“anyway, um, i don’t even know why i brought up lisa, she really has nothing to do with what i wanted to talk about,” chaeyoung admits. “i wanted to talk about jennie-unnie.”

jisoo freezes. she knows. of course she knows. if more people paid attention to jisoo, everyone would probably know about her crush by now, and jisoo probably wouldn't mind much. but there’s always been rumors that chaeyoung and jennie are super close, even though they rarely interact at school. (honestly, jisoo isn’t even sure why a rumor like that exists. it’s kind of boring; not the juiciest of stories.) would she tell jennie about her crush? are the two even actually friends?

“lisa kind of told me you… like her,” chaeyoung says. “right? sorry if that’s, like, awkward, you don’t have to answer - ”

“yeah, i do,” jisoo interrupts. “i don’t really mind people knowing. i’m not trying to be subtle, just not… super obvious. um. why were you talking to lisa about this?”

“... i’m not entirely sure,” chaeyoung says with a little furrow in her brow. “we were changing in the locker room after gym and she kind of just. told me? she probably thinks i know something about how jennie-unnie feels about you. everyone thinks she and i are friends because we wear identical chokers every day.”

was that why everyone was so convinced they were close?

well, it’s a nice choker, jisoo already knows: a little leather thing with small studs all around. it goes pretty nicely with their black, white, and blue school uniforms. jisoo obviously knew that jennie wore it every day, but truthfully, she never noticed that chaeyoung had the exact same one.

“it’s really cute,” jisoo says honestly.

“thanks,” chaeyoung says. she blushes easily, jisoo notices with a grin. “we actually are cousins.”

oh.

well, how come no one has caught on to the fact that jennie is apparently the principal’s niece? it would probably put an end to all the mafia speculations and ruin their fun, she figures.

“the chokers have nothing to do with that, though,” chaeyoung continues. “we both bought them separately and i don’t think either of us care that they’re the same one enough to stop wearing them, so.”

“cool,” jisoo says.

“anyway, i keep getting off topic, sorry, we both have class soon,” chaeyoung rambles. “let’s meet here again between our next classes?”

“sure,” jisoo agrees. she’s eager to find out what chaeyoung has to tell her about jennie. she doesn’t want to get her hopes up, but with the way things are turning out, the possibility that jennie actually likes her back is getting more probable by the minute.

…

“hi.”

jisoo jumps, pulling her head out of her locker and bumping it against the door. standing behind her is…

not chaeyoung.

it’s… jennie?

uh.

“what?”

jisoo immediately cringes. that’s definitely not what she had in mind for their first meeting. not that she’d thought about that at all, ever.

there’s an awkward silence, and jisoo tries to make her smile look natural as she fidgets nervously with the ends of her braids. she may or may not have succeeded; her heart is beating kind of fast and it’s very loud and distracting.

“i like your shoes,” jisoo blurts out. she has no idea what jennie’s shoes look like. she hasn’t once looked at jennie’s shoes today.

“thanks,” jennie says. her voice is kind of deep, but also… kind of cute? how... how does she do it? she’s amazing. “i like your eyes.”

jisoo stands, gaping awkwardly.

“sorry,” jennie murmurs. something like a blush colors her cheeks, and she shoves her hands in the pockets of her blazer, looking down at her shoes. (they’re old, beat-up all stars. jisoo takes a mental note.) “that was… weird. sorry.”

“no - no,” jisoo stutters. “it was cute. uh… sweet. it was sweet.” she cringes at herself again. “thank you.” she thinks her smile comes out a little less forced this time.

“yeah,” jennie says, glancing up at her for a second before flicking her eyes down again.

“hey, kim, shot anyone lately?” an unidentifiable voice laughs from somewhere down the hall.

jennie looks like she wants to sink into the floor and become one with the linoleum. jisoo scowls in the vague direction the voice came from, but there’s not much either of them can do. she sighs.

“everyone is so stupid,” she grumbles. “i wish they would realize how dumb the whole gang thing is. like, they don’t even know you’re related to the actual principal of this school. they know nothing about you. it’s… it’s stupid,” she finishes lamely.

jennie hesitates a second before responding.

“how did you know i’m related to the principal?”

jisoo swallows. damn. it’s obviously not common knowledge, so jennie probably thinks she’s some stalker creep or something. she hurries to explain.

“chaeyoung told me.”

jennie’s expression quickly morphs into one of light frustration. “i swear i’m gonna kill her.”

jisoo fidgets.

this is… really awkward. like, majorly awkward. normally, jisoo works well with awkward - it’s where she thrives. but this she was completely unprepared for. chaeyoung is currently nowhere in sight. did she send jennie in her place? why else would she be here?

“did you want something?” jisoo asks, a bit more bluntly than she meant to. “sorry, sorry, that sounded rude, it’s just - i’d like to talk, but… i have class in a bit, so...”

“no, yeah,” jennie shakes her head, letting out a breath. “um. god, i’m gonna _kill_ her, but… do you like cats?”

does. does she like cats?

it’s not… really even close to the question she was expecting, but jisoo decides to roll with it. talking about cats is better than the stilted complimenting session they just had. _awkward, awkward, awkward._

“yeah, cats are cute,” jisoo answers belatedly. “i have one in my locker.” she opens the door as jennie looks on, puzzled. her expression smooths out once jisoo points to the relatively large poster on the inside of the door featuring a close-up picture of a gray kitten, along with the apparently profound and inspirational english saying, _you’ll do purr-fectly!_

“her name’s meowy, because she’s been staying in my lockers since i was twelve and had no creativity,” jisoo explains, looking at the poster nostalgically. “i think i got her at a summer camp or something. she’s very encouraging during exam weeks. when i was younger, i really wanted a real cat, but my dad’s allergic, so this is my cat instead. isn’t she cute?”

jennie doesn’t seem to care that’s she’s rambling about her poster cat. from what jisoo can tell by sneaking glances between fond gazes at meowy, she actually seems to be enjoying it. her face has gone utterly soft, a sweet little smile on her face as she studies the poster with interest.

“do you want to go to the animal shelter?” jennie says, turning back to jisoo. the shyness (jennie is so _cute_ ) from before has been replaced by good-natured confidence, a twinkle in her eye as she holds herself tall. jisoo, to be honest, is a bit thrown by the change.

“um.”

“i mean, i volunteer there sometimes, and… the cats are really cute, so…” jennie shrugs, trailing off.

“yeah,” jisoo says. she blinks. “that sounds fun. just… playing with cats? or…”

“yeah,” jennie says with a grin. _god,_ she’s beautiful when she smiles. “i mean, there’s some shit - i mean, stuff i have to do before we can play, but you can just. hang out, i guess. it doesn’t take very long to feed them and clean the space and stuff.”

“that sounds… really fun,” jisoo says again. “when will you be there?”

“i’m actually going after school today,” jennie says, suddenly looking down again before meeting her eyes resolutely. “do you… would you want to walk with me? you don’t have to, i just…”

“i’ll walk with you,” jisoo says. she bites her lip to contain a grin and tugs at one of her braids to keep her hands busy.

“okay,” jennie says, smiling hesitantly. “um, i’ll see you, then?”

“see you,” jisoo beams, grabbing her textbook and shoving her locker closed. is this really happening? it’s not, like… some sort of weird dream, right? she forces herself to turn away and walk down the hall towards her next class, sparing a single glance back at jennie. she’s still standing by jisoo’s locker, blinking in surprise. it’s like she can’t believe what just happened, either. jisoo’s heart is still beating hard from the nerves, quickly and loudly in her chest. she takes a deep breath and pulls on her braid one last time, then lets go of it for good.

a fond smile on her face, a cute girl on her mind, and excitement in the air around her, jisoo hurries off to class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading two whole chapters of this!! sorry if you were expecting slow-burn, i love reading it but loathe writing it so this is what we get i guess 
> 
> i've never attended a public high school in either america or korea (homeschoolers wus good) so this is basically a mess of unrealistic stuff that i've learned from the treasure mines that are high school musical and boys over flowers, and stuff i made up. basically.
> 
> no pressure but comments + kudos make the world go round <3


	3. iii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not proofread, but i'll fix any mistakes later so dw

jisoo is really, truly, honestly going to _cry._

she’s surrounded by kittens on all sides. two little ones named moonie and kiki are resting on her criss-crossed legs. an orange tabby keeps leaping up to walk across her shoulders, and the calico that was asleep when they arrived is now batting at the little mouse toy jisoo dangles over its head. jennie holds a single black kitten on her lap, petting its head and cooing at it softly.

jisoo can almost feel the tears well up. this is the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

“how do you stand it?” she asks in disbelief. she’s finally let the calico grab the toy and is now gently stroking its head as it plays. “how do you resist the temptation to adopt every single one of them? i’m too weak for this. this is the worst. oh my god, i love them, jennie, _save me.”_

jennie snorts. “we’ve been here for twenty minutes,” she says. “are you sure you can manage a whole hour?”

_“no,”_ jisoo whines. “i want to stay here _forever._ we can’t just _leave_ them, they’re so _small._ oh my god, look at them.” she picks up the calico and shoves it in jennie’s direction for emphasis.

“that one’s called pickles,” jennie answers, unaffected.

jisoo groans in distress, pulling the kitten back to her chest. “that’s so _cute._ i would _die_ for pickles.” she peppers kisses all over the kitten’s face and ears as it futilely struggles to get out of her hold.

“you having a good time?” jennie smiles.

jisoo nods frantically. “i love them _all,”_ she insists.

“okay,” jennie giggles. she’s adorable, too. her nose scrunches up, and her eyes go all sparkly and pretty, and jisoo is having a very hard time composing herself right now.

she wonders if she’ll survive the rest of the day.

…

well. she made it.

jennie walked with her until they parted ways at the crosswalk three blocks from jisoo’s apartment building, and jisoo continued home in a daze. she felt so light and floaty, and a little dizzy, and a _lot_ overwhelmed from the sheer overload of cuteness, but she made it.

the first thing she does after flopping down on her bed is call lisa. she picks up on the third ring.

“unnie?”

“it was so cute,” jisoo gushes. “she was so cute, and there were cats, and pickles was so sweet, i would literally die for pickles, lisa, if you had seen pickles you would be willing to die for her too. i’m so… jennie is so cute? and there were cats. lisa, _kittens. everywhere._ oh my god. i’m gonna cry.”

lisa sighs on the other end.

“did chaeyoung-unnie talk to you today?” she asks knowingly.

“yes,” jisoo sniffles. “i am in physical pain, lisa, today was the first time i’ve ever talked to her and she was so pretty and soft and i love cats so much… it was… i want to die. do you think she likes me back? oh my god, i think she does… lisa. lisa, stop laughing, i’m calling you to _comfort_ me in my _distress_ but if you’re just going to laugh at me i’ll just hang up. lisa!”

“sorry, unnie,” lisa laughs. “you’re just so cute. chaeyoung-unnie says she thinks she likes you. does that help?”

“no,” jisoo whimpers. “that’s even worse. she asked me out with _kittens,_ lisa. she’s perfect for me? why is she so perfect?”

“there, there,” lisa soothes. “it’ll be okay. you’ll get your shit together and become the world’s most adorable married cat ladies, okay?”

“god.”

“yup.”

_“god,”_ jisoo repeats.

“i know,” lisa sympathizes. “are you going to confess?”

“no,” jisoo responds at once. “maybe? she made the first move, technically, i think. does that mean i have to make the next move?”

“i don’t think it really matters,” lisa says. “but if she likes you, she might be waiting for you to confess first. you kinda have to just… go with the flow on stuff like this, you know? see what happens.”

“when did you get so smart?” jisoo scoffs. “when was the last time you even dated anyone? how do you know all this stuff?”

“oh, i don’t know,” lisa teases. “common sense? i’m not a relationship guru, jisoo, i just try to see things from the other person’s point of view and go from there. how do you think jennie feels?”

“i don’t know,” jisoo says. “she was really… like, awkward and blushy when she asked me to go with her. but it was cute! it was really cute.”

“well, either she likes you, or she’s just awkward and blushy by nature,” lisa reasons. “but i’m honestly going to go with the first one, just from what chaeyoung-unnie has told me about her. things are looking good for you so far. what else?”

“um,” jisoo says, racking her brain. “she liked meowy? i think?”

“oh my god, keep her,” lisa orders. “you’re never going to get this lucky again, unnie. fucking keep her.”

“watch your fucking language,” jisoo retorts indignantly. “anyway, yeah, she was like, ‘do you like cats?’ and i was like, ‘yeah, i’ve got this adorable cat poster in my locker’ and i showed it to her? and then she asked me to go to the animal shelter with her, so. what does that mean?”

“i think,” lisa pauses suspensefully. jisoo bites her lip.

“i think jennie is crazy and actually likes you.”

jisoo groans. “you’re such a brat. why do i willingly talk to you?”

“because i’m the cutest puppy in the world,” lisa says innocently. “you love me, unnie, don’t try to deny it.”

“i hate you!” jisoo huffs. she hangs up.

then she feels guilty, so she calls back, blurts out an “i love you” when lisa picks up again, and hangs up once more.

she throws her phone across the bed. maybe jennie will talk to her again at school tomorrow. at this point, she’s about 80% sure jennie likes her back, but only time will tell, or something like that.

only one thing is certain now: if jennie invites her back to the shelter to play with the cats again, jisoo actually _will_ cry.

ugh. she’s always had a weakness for cute things.


	4. iv

jennie is quiet the next day at school, but jisoo is determined to talk to her, anyway.

after first period, they pass each other in the halls. jisoo waves, knowing she’s got a huge, dorky grin on her face, and jennie smiles shyly before ducking her head and continuing on.

during lunch, jisoo ditches lisa to eat with jennie, at the table where she usually sits alone. jennie doesn’t look at all surprised to see her there - which, wow, ok, jisoo thought she was being subtle yesterday but apparently not - and accepts the half a cookie jisoo offers. she doesn’t really say anything, but jisoo can’t really complain when she gets to sit across from kim jennie during lunch. her life has become so much better seemingly overnight, and she thanks whatever god that may be out there for blessing her this way. at one point, she looks up and meets park chaeyoung’s eye across the cafeteria, and the other girl smirks before going back to her friends. jisoo wonders how this became her life; hanging out with her crush and being acknowledged by popular girls. but again, she’s not complaining.

then, after school.

lisa is clinging onto jisoo’s arm as they exit the building, as per usual. jisoo is half-heartedly whining about lisa clinging onto her arm, as per usual. jennie is… there. in the edges of jisoo’s vision, walking quietly a few feet behind them, head tilted down.

which, it suddenly strikes jisoo, is not usual at all.

“hi,” she says, yanking lisa to a stop.

jennie jumps, looking up at them. she stops walking, too.

“hi,” she returns uncertainly. she shifts her weight back and forth a few times. jisoo smiles at her in what she hopes comes off as confused reassurance, jennie runs a hand through her hair out of what’s probably embarrassment, jisoo places her free hand in her blazer pocket and immediately takes it out again -

“hi,” lisa butts in, oblivious to what is _supposed_ to be an adorably awkward moment between two love-struck teenagers. damn it, lisa.

jennie offers a little nod to lisa. jisoo elbows lisa in the ribs.

ignoring lisa’s grunts of pain, jisoo pulls her arm free and turns to face jennie directly.

“yesterday was really fun,” she blurts. “the… the cats, and… everything.”

jennie smiles. “yeah,” she agrees. “it was… really fun. thanks for coming with me.”

“are you kidding? like i would have said no to that,” jisoo scoffs good-naturedly.

jennie giggles. “i guess, yeah,” she says.

lisa seems to have recovered by now, because jisoo can hear her stifling laughter behind her hand. it’s incredibly annoying.

“so, jennie-ssi.” lisa snorts between her words. “how long have you been following us?”

jisoo elbows her again, harder this time, as jennie blushes and stutters and fidgets.

“no, i mean - ” she coughs and looks away. “i was just. walking home. you know. i wasn’t - wasn’t following you, i mean, i didn’t even… i didn’t even, like. know you guys were there. in front of me. yeah. didn’t even see you. uh… yeah.” she coughs again.

jisoo puts a hand up to cover her smile and clears her throat. “yeah,” she manages, her voice strangled with laughter and embarrassment.

jennie was totally following them.

“do you want ice cream?” jisoo asks.

jennie slowly lifts her head, staring at them. lisa stands off, rubbing her side pitifully, jennie’s gaze flickering between her and jisoo and back again.

“...sure?” she responds.

“cool,” jisoo smiles. she gathers up all the courage her soft, gay little heart has in it, and reaches out to grab jennie’s hand.

“walk with us this time,” she says, dragging a pink-faced jennie along as they start to go along once more. “and whatever you do, don’t get the pistachio. it was majorly disappointing. just saying.”

…

so.

jennie is cute.

jennie is cute during class. jennie is cute during lunch. jennie is cute when she’s talking and playing with cats and walking jisoo home.

jennie is very, very, _especially_ cute when she's holding a double-scoop cone of strawberry ice cream, sitting in the corner of a pastel pink booth, leaning over a light blue table, with the sun shining in her eyes so she has to squint a little, making her eyes all scrunched up and sparkly, making jisoo’s heart beat very, very fast, and causing proper grammar rules to mysteriously fall out of jisoo’s brain so that she can’t properly end her sentences and they all run into each other in a mess of adoration and awe -

so.

jisoo has made maybe three licks into her butter pecan and is trying hard to pay more attention, because lisa has been sneaking tastes herself. she finished her little cup of chocolate ice cream a few minutes ago and jisoo really wants to tell her to just order another one, _unnie will pay for it, just don’t eat my ice cream you little brat_ \- but, unfortunately, words aren’t exactly working right now.

jisoo wonders what exactly it is about jennie that makes her brain turn to mush, and if there is any sort of antidote that she can refuse because she doesn’t actually care that much. she’s good with mush. mush is cool. mush is _great,_ if it means jennie will always be that cute. what was she talking about?

“i have to - go,” jennie stammers, looking at the table. “i actually - i have a - a dentist appointment today. wait - “ she looks up frantically. “that sounds like an excuse, sorry, it’s not, i really have one and i - forgot.” she shrinks back down into herself.

jisoo blinks. “oh,” she says.

“so,” jennie whispers. “sorry.”

jisoo blinks again, turning to lisa.

lisa sighs.

“it’s okay,” she speaks for jisoo. “we’ll finish up, we’ll pay for your ice cream, we’ll miss you - is there anything else you wanted to say, unnie?”

jisoo smacks lisa in the arm.

_“unnie,”_ lisa whines. “come on. this is animal abuse. i’ll report you.”

“be a good puppy, then,” jisoo coos mockingly. she tickles her fingers under a squirming lisa’s chin. “don’t you want to be a good puppy for unnie?”

lisa makes as if to bite her hand, and jisoo points a finger at her scoldingly, prepared to give her the infamous respect-your-elders lecture -

“um.”

jisoo suddenly remembers that jennie is, in fact, sitting across from them still.

“um,” she echoes.

“i wonder which half of the school jennie-ssi’s in,” lisa says thoughtfully.

jennie stands up. “i’m gonna - just - ”

“yeah,” jisoo interrupts. “bye. it was fun? see you tomorrow. what?”

“yeah,” jennie says, licking her lips nervously. “fun. tomorrow. bye.” she glances at lisa, then back at jisoo, and abruptly walks off with her strawberry cone.

so.

lisa gets up to order a second serving, and jisoo stares at her ice cream until it melts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jennie is painfully ooc i Apologize, i also Apologize for the major writer's block that made this chapter take 2+ weeks to write :/ 
> 
> thanks to everyone who left such lovely comments on the previous chapters, you make writing this so much more fun <3 <3


	5. v

“so you’re saying… jennie is like a cat? and that’s why you like her?” lisa tosses her gum wrapper across the room, directly into jisoo’s wastebasket.

“oh, nice,” jisoo praises.

“thanks,” lisa grins. “so how is jennie being a cat related to you liking her? maybe you do have a pet kink.”

“i do _not_ have a pet kink.” jisoo rolls her eyes. “stop being weird.”

“the first step is acceptance,” lisa recites brightly. “this is a safe space, unnie. a judgement-free zone. you do you!”

“shut up.”

lisa pouts and rolls over on the bed to rummage through jisoo’s nightstand, probably trying to find something else to chuck into the trash can. jisoo spins her desk chair.

“it’s just… everything i like about cats, i like about jennie? it’s kind of weird, actually, like - they’re cute, and super soft and fluffy and everything, but then they could totally shred a small animal to pieces in like three seconds? and sometimes they’re grumpy and sometimes they’re cuddly and you never know until you get close enough to touch, and at that point you’ll probably just end up with their claws hooked in you, and then you’re left with scratches and scars and sad, mopey pining for like four years.”

she spins in the chair again and sighs.

maybe she’s a little miffed that jennie hasn't come to talk to her since their ice cream outing last week, but it’s whatever.

“so jennie is the grumpy cat in this metaphor?” lisa hums.

“no,” jisoo huffs. “it’s not, like, completely the same. obviously jennie didn’t _mean_ to latch onto my heart and leave me with feelings for her dialed up to eleven. it was just the best cat metaphor i could think up on the spot. stop taking things so literally.”

“ok _ay,_ damn,” lisa scoffs.

“what did i say about watching your fucking language, lisa?”

“that joke isn’t even funny anymore, unnie. get a new one.”

jisoo gapes. when did her dongsaeng get so… disrespectful?

“...shut up,” she scoffs.

“okay,” lisa says. “hey, wanna know what chaeyoung told me today?”

god, she’s a brat.

“you’ll probably keep talking no matter what I say,” jisoo sighs.

“correct! she said that jennie said she wants to take you to see the cats again. so, like, that’s a thing.”

“why hasn’t she asked, then? or, like, spoken to me in five days?”

“chaeyoung said she wouldn’t say,” lisa shrugs with fake nonchalance. “maybe you could… talk to her?”

oh.

this is lisa's version of an intervention. 

 _“unnie,_ didn’t you say you should make the next move?”

“what if she actually _hates_ me, though,” jisoo whines.

“that’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said,” lisa snorts. “i know she likes you, _you_ know she likes you. all this weird tension is dumb. just confess so you can get together and adopt ten million cats already.”

“maybe i will,” jisoo retorts. “maybe that’s exactly what i’ll do tomorrow!”

“good for you, then!”

“thank you!”

“you’re _welcome!”_ lisa sits up indignantly.

jisoo huffs. great. now she has to confess first, or lisa will never let her live it down.

school tomorrow should be fun.

…

“scientific process, blah blah blah, lab safety, blah, chemical reactions, blah…”

at least, jisoo thinks what mr. choi is saying is somewhere along those lines. or, like, somewhere close to it. honestly, she’s not sure. she’s been kind of busy predicting all the different ways The Conversation could turn out.

for example:

_“jennie, i like you. please date me and join me in my quest to own at least a hundred cats before i die.”_

_“sounds cool. let’s do it!”_

or:

_“jennie, i like you. please date me - ”_

_“go away and never talk to me again, loser!”_

jisoo is just a bit nervous.

she turns around to catch a glimpse of jennie in the back row, quietly taking notes and doing what jisoo is probably supposed to be doing. but who needs to pay attention in class when they can daydream about being rejected by their crush instead?

maybe jennie’s got the right idea.

…

it’s only when chaeyoung follows her home that jisoo realizes she never actually, like, talked to jennie. in real life.

oops?

“jisoo sunbae, i need to talk to you!” chaeyoung’s voice echoes down the sidewalk and stops jisoo short.

“ah, shit,” she whispers.

“i know,” she calls to chaeyoung without turning around. “i’m - i’m super lame and forgetful and you and lisa were probably laughing at me behind my back in school.”

“no, it’s… i mean…” chaeyoung must have been running to catch up to her. she’s panting as she comes to a stop next to jisoo. “did you see jennie at all today? like, in school? or after school?”

jisoo feels her brows furrowing. “...yeah?” she answers. she is confused. “we have ap chem together, i saw her then.”

“but did you see her after that?” chaeyoung seems desperate. jisoo blinks.

had she seen jennie after that class together? she must have, she always notices her in the halls between periods, but…

“i don’t think so,” she finally admits. “what’s going on?”

“oh, it’s - it’s nothing,” chaeyoung rushes to reassure her with a breathless laugh. “she just - she was going to do something today and i. i don’t think she actually did it so i was… wondering if maybe you knew where she was but you probably don’t so! that’s fine! no worries! she’s fine!”

“okay,” jisoo says skeptically. “well, i have no clue where she could’ve got to, like, immediately after school let out, but. let me know what’s up, i guess?”

“will do!” chaeyoung laughs nervously again.

jisoo jerks a thumb over her shoulder.

“this is my place,” she says awkwardly.

chaeyoung looks at the building, then at her again before it clicks. “oh! right, right, i’ll stop bothering you and just - let you - “

“it’s okay,” jisoo says. this entire conversation has been really weird. “i’m just… gonna go inside now.”

“of course,” chaeyoung agrees. “have a good day, sunbae!”

jisoo watches her bow, then take off running again the way they came. she starts climbing up the stairwell to her family’s apartment.

she’s not quite sure what just happened, or what the situation even is, but chaeyoung can probably handle it.

probably.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this truly awful chapter was not worth waiting three entire months for, i'm sorry :/ anyway idek what the fuck is going on anymore so if you're confused i am too


	6. vi

things are weird for about a week or so. jennie avoids them and disappears before the last bell every day. chaeyoung and lisa are clueless, and jisoo is just - well, she’s clueless, too. it’s not like she knows jennie  _ super _ well, out of the three of them, and they’re all kind of worried. 

but by the time monday rolls around again, things are mostly normal. jennie eats lunch with them again and chats awkwardly with jisoo and blushes a lot. jisoo hopes that she was okay last week, but she’s not about to bring it up. she’s perfectly fine with leaving it in the past and moving forward. 

until she finds jennie waiting for her at her locker after school, looking mildly uncomfortable and getting more so by the minute. 

“hey,” jisoo greets tentatively. jennie gives her best impression of a natural-looking smile. it could use a little work. 

“hi,” she replies. “um. hi.” 

“hi.” 

_ god, _ this is bad. possibly worse than their first meeting. jisoo shudders at the memory. 

“what’s up?” she tries. 

“not much,” jennie says, then - “actually… actually kind of. a lot. can - do you - can i tell you something?” she looks like she wants to break eye contact, but manages to hold it firmly through a light blush. 

jisoo’s stomach drops. 

seriously? after jisoo had hyped herself up and prepared to give it her best shot, jennie chooses  _ now _ to confess? 

like, it’s about time, but also: rude. 

still, jisoo keeps a pleasantly neutral expression on her face as she says, “yeah, sure.” 

jennie takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. 

“okay,” she says to herself. “so,” she says to jisoo. “i probably should’ve told you this a while ago, but, i don’t know. it didn’t really seem urgent at the time. i thought maybe it wouldn’t matter, in the end, but… i’ve realized that i can’t just ignore it, you know?” 

jisoo knows. she really, really knows. 

“and then chaeyoung told me i was being stupid and, like, you wouldn’t care that much, so…” 

jisoo nods enthusiastically. come on, she can almost taste the “i like you” on the tip of her own tongue - if jennie doesn’t spit it out, she might do it herself. 

_ i like you i like you i like you - _

“i’m not actually a cat person.” 

“me too!” 

jennie blinks. 

wait. 

“what?” jennie is shifting uncertainly. “you’re -  _ what?” _

“no, no,” jisoo hastily corrects, “i mean - i  _ am _ a cat person. i’m. i really like cats. i just - i thought you were going to say something different. you. you’re not a cat person? really?” 

“yeah.” jennie blushes and looks down. “i know, it’s kind of stupid but i never really liked them. when - when i took you to see the cats that one time? i hadn’t volunteered with them for months before that. i always took care of the dogs.” 

“seriously?  _ really?” _

jennie tilts her head back against the row of lockers. “sorry i never told you, and, like, made you think i like cats way more than i do. i just - ireallylikeyou and… chaeyoung somehow knew that you really like cats so i thought i’d. like. i don’t know.” 

“you really like me.” 

jennie stands up straight. 

“what?” 

“you really like me. you just said it.” 

“no - i mean, yeah, yes, but it’s - ” 

“dude.  _ dude.  _ do you not know that i’ve been crushing on you since, like, middle school?” jisoo is, honestly, dumbfounded. she’s probably been the most obvious person with a crush in the entire history of people having crushes. is jennie messing with her? 

“...i kind of knew,” jennie admits quietly. 

“then - why the whole thing with trying to impress me with cats, or whatever that was? i mean, i definitely appreciate it, but are you aware that it was completely unnecessary?” 

“i wasn’t sure,” jennie defends. “and i really wanted you to like me. sorry for manipulating your love of cats to spend time with you.” 

“stop acting like i wasn’t internally freaking out the whole time,” jisoo huffs. “i like you, you like me, apparently we’re both idiots who should definitely go on a date and get married and adopt a million - a million unspecified pets. which might be cats. unless you really don’t like them.” 

jennie shakes her head. “they’re okay,” she smiles. “but i’m a dog person so we’re adopting just as many dogs as cats, right?” 

“hell yeah,” jisoo whispers breathlessly. “this is gonna be so great.” 

jennie clears her throat and takes her phone out of her pocket. 

“maybe we should have each other’s numbers before we share ownership of a million animals,” she suggests wryly. 

“i agree,” jisoo says. she pulls out her own phone and they exchange numbers, glancing shyly at each other until jisoo remembers that she was supposed to hang out with lisa today. 

“shit,” she blurts out. “i need to go, i’m chilling with lisa after school and she’s - probably wondering where i am, i’m sorry, i will  _ absolutely  _ text you later about that date - ” 

“it’s okay,” jennie laughs. it’s light and pretty, and it calms jisoo’s nerves a little. “see you later.” 

“see you!” jisoo calls as she stumbles down the hallway. 

maybe not back to normal, but normal wasn’t all that great, anyway. things finally took a turn for the better - with a few weird dips and curves along the way, but jisoo can’t wait for whatever’s next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is a really bad awful horrible ending :/ i kept presenting more questions in the narrative and i only ever answered like one of them :// and the writing isn't even good :///// if i ever feel like writing their date or anything like that (maybe what jennie was doing that week when things were weird?), i will, and it will be MUCH better because i'm not pressuring myself to do it, but for now i'd just like to say: good riddance, it's done. i'm really not very satisfied with this but i wanted to finish it and move on to making better things!!! 
> 
> seriously though, thank you to everyone who read this and said they liked it and stuff. even though it kind of got progressively worse until i basically just threw some words on a page and called it the last installment, this fic never would've progressed past the second chapter if it hadn't been for you guys!! reading your comments always makes me feel so happy. i love you all <3<3

**Author's Note:**

> ok yeah the first chapter is mostly platonic lisoo but don't worry jennie (AND CHAEYOUNG DON'T FORGET CHAEYOUNG) will show up soon probably idk i've never posted a wip so we'll see how this goes. fair warnings: i update when i feel like it. i'm not a reliable wip writer and i can't promise with 100% certainty that this will be finished. i'm planning on keeping it fluffy n soft but the angst always seems to sneak its way in somehow so i won't promise anything there either lmao


End file.
